The Clan Fraser in Canada Part 1

The Clan Fraser in Canada.

by Alexander Fraser.

PREFATORY NOTE

The chief object aimed at by the publication of this little volume is to furnish, in a concise and inexpensive form, information regarding the Clan Fraser not readily accessible to clansmen in Canada. It is also hoped a perusal of the contents will strengthen the clan sentiment, and deepen the interest in the ancient clan bond and in the long and ill.u.s.trious history of the Clan. But the book being essentially an account of the first Annual Gathering held by the Clan in the Province of Ontario, it will be an interesting souvenir of that pleasant event; and probably the hope may not be too sanguine that its appearance will mark an onward step in the record of the Clan in the Dominion.

The publication has been undertaken under the auspices of the newly-formed Clan Fraser in Canada, and the thanks of the editor are due to Professor W. H. Fraser, of Toronto University, and to Mr. Alexander Fraser (of Fraserfield, Glengarry), the Printing Committee of the Clan; also to Mr. J. Lewis Browne, for the music to which the "Fraser Drinking Song," written by Mrs. Georgina Fraser-Newhall, has been set.

A. F.

Toronto, February, 1895.

INTRODUCTORY

The Gael has proved himself not less a pioneer of civilization, and adaptable to changing conditions of living, than a lover of the traditions of his race, holding tenaciously by ancient usages and manners, and stirred profoundly by racial sentiment. As a pioneer he has reached "the ends of the earth," possessing the unoccupied parts of the world. As a patriot he has established not a few of his cherished customs in the land of his adoption. His love of kindred is probably his most notable characteristic; it found embodiment in the clan system, under which his race achieved its greatest triumphs and enjoyed its greatest glories, and the bond of clans.h.i.+p, with its inspiring memories, the true clansman will never disregard. While the clan system, as such, would be impracticable in the British colonies under present-day conditions, even more so than in its old home in the Highlands of Scotland, its spirit lives, leavening the system of government and exercising no small influence in the fusion of heterogeneous elements into new and distinct peoples.

These observations are applicable in a peculiar degree to Canada, where a very large number of clansmen have found a second Highland home. Many of the forests which rang with the clash of the claymore in the struggle for British supremacy, fell afterwards to the axe of the Gaelic settler.

His trail lies across the continent, from ocean to ocean. His energy and intelligence have been honorably felt in every walk of life, and his enterprise and skill have done much to develop and upbuild the Dominion.

No body of people occupies a more distinguished place in this respect than the Frasers; indeed, even among the clans, no name is more closely identified than that of "Fraser" with the early days of Canada. To tell of their services on the field, in government, in commerce, in the professions, would occupy a large volume, as would a similar story of other clans, and an attempt to do so, in an introductory chapter, would be altogether out of place, but there are a few events of importance to the country in which the Frasers figured to which it will be well to allude with fitting brevity.

Those who hold the Norman theory believe the first of the name of "Fraser" in Scotland, "came over with William the Conqueror," and they ask no better proof of the antiquity of the name. If the early connection of the Clan with Canada be any satisfaction to clansmen there, then it may be stated with truth that the first settlers of the name "came over with Wolfe the Conqueror," and their services were as conspicuous in the military operations conducted by the intrepid young General, who gave his life for his country on the Plains of Abraham, as were those performed by any brave knight, whose name may be found on the roll of Battle Abbey.

The story of Fraser's Highlanders forms one of the most romantic chapters in the annals of the clans, and should the time come when it is fairly and fully given to the world, it will prove a valuable addition to the history of Highland life and of early Canada.

For the part taken by the Clan in the uprising of 1745, Lord Simon was beheaded on Tower Hill and the Fraser estates were forfeited to the Crown. The Master of Lovat appeared at the head of the Clan on the Stuart side; but, as he was young at the time and had acted by his father's command, he was pardoned, and in 1757, in accordance with the wise, conciliatory policy of Mr. Pitt, he was commissioned to raise a regiment of his clansmen, of which he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel commanding. In General Stewart's Sketches a brief but interesting account of this, the old Seventy-Eighth Regiment, is given, an extract from which will show the strength of the clan ties then existing, and the high character of the men who were raised on the Lovat territory.

General Stewart says: "Without estate, money or influence, beyond that influence which flowed from attachment to his family, person and name, this gentleman (the Master of Lovat), in a few weeks found himself at the head of 800 men, recruited by himself. The gentlemen of the country and the officers of the regiment added more than 700, and thus a battalion was formed of 13 companies of 105 rank and file each, making in all 1,460 men, including 65 sergeants and 30 pipers and drummers."

All accounts concur in describing this regiment as a superior body of men; their character and actions raised the military reputation and gave a favorable impression of the moral virtues of the sons of the mountains. The uniform was the full Highland dress, with musket and broadsword, dirk and sporran of badger's or otter's skin. The bonnet was raised or c.o.c.ked on one side, with a slight bend inclining down to the right ear, over which were suspended two or more black feathers.

The regiment embarked at Greenock, and landed at Halifax in June, 1757, and followed the fortunes of the war for six years. "On all occasions,"

says Stewart, "this brave body of men sustained a uniform character for unshaken firmness, incorruptible probity and a strict regard both to military and moral duties." Their chaplain was a man of note as of stature. His name was Robert Macpherson, but he was known in the regiment as _An Caipeal Mor_, being of large physique. He exercised the traditional authority of a Highland minister, and we are told that the men were always anxious to conceal their misdemeanors from him.

The cold climate, it was feared, would prove too severe to the Frasers, who wore the kilt, and an attempt, kindly conceived, no doubt, was made to change the "garb of old Gaul" for the trews. The proposal aroused strenuous opposition; officers and men opposed the change and finally were successful. The strength of feeling awakened may be judged from the words of one of the soldiers in the regiment: "Thanks to our generous chief, we were allowed to wear the garb of our fathers, and, in the course of six winters, showed the doctors that they did not understand our const.i.tution; for in the coldest winters our men were more healthy than those regiments that wore breeches and warm clothing." A somewhat amusing anecdote is related of how the Nuns of the Ursuline Convent, where the Frasers were quartered in 1759-60, endeavored to induce Governor Murray to be allowed to provide sufficient raiment for the kilted soldiers, but, of course, without success.

At Louisburg, Montmorenci, Ste. Foye and on the Plains of Abraham, the Frasers distinguished themselves greatly. One of the most eloquent tributes to their prowess was spoken by the Hon. P. J. O. Chauveau, the French-Canadian, at the inauguration in 1855 of the Statue of Bellona sent by Prince Napoleon for the monument erected on the famous battlefield. The French-Canadian historian Garneau, and other writers in whose veins courses the blood of the vanquished at Quebec, have borne generous testimony to their military bearing and good conduct. Garneau writes of the battle of Carillon, 1758: "It was the right of the trench works that was longest and most obstinately a.s.sailed; in that quarter the combat was most sanguinary. The British Grenadiers and Highlanders there persevered in the attack for three hours, without flinching or breaking rank. The Highlanders above all, under Lord John Murray, covered themselves with glory. They formed the troops confronting the Canadians, their light and picturesque costumes distinguis.h.i.+ng them from all other soldiers amid the flames and smoke. The corps lost the half of its men, and twenty-five of its officers were killed or severely wounded;" and the genial Le Moine, half Highland and half French, says: "The Frasers of 1759 and of 1775 readily courted danger or death in that great duel which was to graft progress and liberty on that loved emblem of Canada, the pride of its forests--the Maple Tree. If at times one feels pained at the ferocity which marked the conflict and which won for Fraser's Highlanders at Quebec, the name _Les Sauvages d'Ecosse_,[1] one feels relieved, seeing that the meeting was inevitable, that the st.u.r.dy sons of Caledonia, in Levis' heroic Grenadiers, did find a foe worthy of their steel. Scotchmen, on the field of Ste. Foye, in deadly encounter with France's impetuous warriors, doubtless acknowledged that the latter were not unworthy descendants of those whom they had helped to rout England's soldiery on the fields of Brange, Crevant and Verneuil."

[Footnote 1: It is but fair to state that Fraser's Highlanders showed no more ferocity than the usages of war justified. There were barbarous atrocities committed, undoubtedly, but for these, the Highlanders were not responsible.--A.F.]

At the close of the war many of the officers and men settled in the Provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia, having obtained their discharge and grants of land in the New World. It was not long ago computed that the descendants of these Highlanders in the Province of Quebec numbered 3,000, but merged in the French-Canadian peasantry to such an extent that even the names have lost their original form. In Nova Scotia the name Fraser flourishes in every towns.h.i.+p of every county. There have been many accessions to the Clan since the days of the Seventy-Eighth and the Battle of the Plains, but at least four-fifths of those bearing the Clan name in Canada to-day, trace their descent from the victorious clansmen of Cape Breton and Quebec.

On the outbreak of the American War the Royal Highland Emigrants were embodied, and in that regiment, commanded by the gallant Lieut.-Colonel Allan MacLean (son of Torloisk), 300 men who had belonged to Fraser's regiment enlisted. In the interval between the cession of Canada and the American War, the Lovat estates were restored to the Master of Lovat, for his eminent services (the t.i.tle was kept in abeyance), and he was asked to raise a regiment, the Seventy-First, of two battalions. This he speedily accomplished and soon found himself at the head of a double regiment numbering 2,340 officers and men. They behaved with the highest distinction throughout the war and earned flattering encomiums from the commanding officers. General Stewart, than whom no more competent authority has written of Highland regiments, and but few who have understood Highland character better, whose Sketches have furnished facts to all subsequent writers on the subject, speaks of the Seventy-First, Fraser's Highlanders, thus: "Their moral conduct was in every way equal to their military character. Disgraceful punishments were unknown. Among men religious, brave, moral and humane, disgraceful punishments are unnecessary. Such being the acknowledged general character of these men, their loyalty was put to the test and proved to be genuine. When prisoners, and solicited by the Americans to join their standard and settle among them, not one individual violated the oath he had taken, or forgot his fidelity or allegiance, a virtue not generally observed on that occasion, for many soldiers of other corps joined the Americans, and sometimes, indeed, entered their service in a body." The Seventy-First did not leave many behind as settlers, and the reference to it here is only permissible as ill.u.s.trating the high character of the Clan, of which the Seventy-Eighth, which left its quota of settlers behind, formed an important part. General Simon Fraser's intimate connection with Canada, as commanding officer of Fraser's Highlanders (1757), and in other interesting respects, may suffice as a reason why a good anecdote of him may be here related. When the Seventy-First mustered at Glasgow, Lochiel was absent, being ill at London. His absence had not, evidently, been explained to his company, for they demurred to embark without their chief; they feared some misfortune had befallen him. General Fraser had a command of eloquent speech and he succeeded in persuading them to embark with their comrades. It is related that while he was speaking in Gaelic to the men, an old Highlander, who had accompanied his son to Glasgow, was leaning on his staff gazing at the General with great earnestness. When he had finished, the old man walked up to him and, with that easy familiar intercourse, which in those days subsisted between the Highlanders and their superiors, shook him by the hand, exclaiming "Simon, you are a good soldier, and speak like a man; so long as you live, Simon of Lovat will never die;" alluding to the General's address and manner, which was said to resemble much that of his father, Lord Lovat, whom the old Highlanders knew perfectly.

THE DE BERRY ORGANIZATION.

We have now seen the origin of the Frasers in Canada; they came in war, but the swords were readily turned into ploughshares, and the arts of peace cultivated with a constancy and success that equalled their intrepidity and valor on the battlefield. Years rolled on, the Clan multiplied and prospered, and, in the course of time, a project was entered upon for the formation of a new Clan Fraser on Canadian soil.

The leading spirit of the movement was the Hon. John Fraser de Berry, a member for the Legislative Council of the Province of Quebec. A meeting of Frasers was held in response to the following public advertis.e.m.e.nt:

FRASER CLAN.

THE FRASERS of the Province of Quebec are respectfully requested to meet at the office of Messrs. THOMAS FRASER & CO., at the Lower Town, Quebec, on SAt.u.r.dAY, the twenty-fifth day of January, 1868, at TEN o'clock A.M., to take into consideration the advisability of organizing the "CLAN" for the Dominion of Canada.

JOHN FRASER DE BERRY, A. FRASER, A. FRASER, SR., A. FRASER, JR., J. R. FRASER, FRED. FRASER, JANUARY 21, 1868. JOHN FRASER, J. FRASER.

At this meeting preliminary steps were taken to further the object in view, and another meeting was held on February 8th, 1868, of which the following report has been taken from the _Quebec Mercury_:

At a meeting of the "Frasers" of the Province of Quebec, held at Mrs.

Brown's City Hotel, on the 8th February, 1868, Alexander Fraser, Esq., notary, ex-Member for the County of Kamouraska, now resident in Quebec, in the chair; Mr. Omer Fraser, of St. Croix, acting as Secretary.

1. It was unanimously resolved:

That it is desirable that the family of "Frasers" do organize themselves into a clan with a purely and benevolent social object, and, with that view, they do now proceed to such organization by recommending the choice of

A Chief for the Dominion of Canada; A Chief for each province; A Chief for each electoral division; A Chief for each county; A Chief for each locality and towns.h.i.+p.

2. That the Chief of the Dominion of Canada be named "The Fraser," and that he be chosen at a general meeting of the Frasers of all the provinces; the said meeting to be held on the second Thursday in the month of May next, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, in such place in the City of Ottawa as will then be designated.

3. That it is desirable that the Chief of the Province of Quebec and the Chiefs of the electoral divisions represented at said meeting be chosen forthwith; and that the Chief elected for this province be authorized and empowered to name the Chiefs for such divisions as are not represented at present, the said selection shall, however, be subject to the approbation of the Frasers of the division interested, who will make the same known at a meeting to be called without delay, by the Chief of the Province of Quebec, with the view to proceed to the nomination of the Chiefs of counties comprehended in the said division.

4. That Chiefs of counties be obliged to convene also without delay, a meeting by which shall be chosen all the Chiefs of parishes or towns.h.i.+ps.

5. That it shall be the duty of the Chief chosen for a parish or towns.h.i.+p to report to the Chief of his county as early as possible, the number of Frasers residing in his parish or towns.h.i.+p; and of the Chief of the county in his town, to report to the Chief of his electoral division, who will transmit it, together with his own report, to the Chief of his province; the said report to contain the number of Frasers in his division, in order that the force of the Clan in each province may be ascertained on the 14th of May next, at the meeting at Ottawa.

6. That it is advisable that the meeting at Ottawa, representing all the Clan, be composed of all its divers Chiefs from the Chiefs of provinces, even to the Chiefs of parishes or towns.h.i.+ps inclusively, and any other Frasers who may desire to attend at the same.

7. That the above resolutions and the nominations, which are to take place this day, or which may be made hereafter by the Chief of the province, shall be considered as preliminary and temporary, as they are made with the sole object of organizing the Clan, and not to bind in any manner whatever the Frasers, who will be at perfect liberty to reorganize themselves completely anew at the Ottawa meeting.

8. That the Clan shall not be considered to exist until and after the next anniversary or Dominion Day, the first of July next, under such rules and regulations as will be adopted at the meeting at Ottawa; the Frasers of this meeting protest energetically against any intention, which might be attributed to them, of dictating their will to their namesakes of this province; they are simply attempting to organize and with a benevolent object, to adopt temporarily the above resolutions the better to attain that end.

9. That the sister provinces of Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick be respectfully requested to organize themselves, and to send delegates to the meeting at Ottawa, on the fourteenth of May next, that time having been selected because in all probability the parliament will still be in session, and the members may attend the session before dispersing.

10. That all proceedings be respectfully submitted to the "Fraser"

family, which is one of the most ancient, one of the most n.o.ble, one of the most influential, and one of the most numerous families of the Dominion of Canada.

11. That all the newspapers throughout the Dominion of Canada, who have subscribers of the name of Fraser, are requested to publish the proceedings of this meeting.

After which the meeting proceeded to the nomination of the following officers, who were unanimously elected:

I. To be the Chief of the Province of Quebec:

The Honorable JOHN FRASER DE BERRY, Esquire, one of the members of the Legislative Council of the said Province, etc., being the fifty-eighth descendant of Jules de Berry, a rich and powerful lord (seigneur) who feasted sumptuously the Emperor Charlemagne, and his numerous suite, at his castle in Normandy, in the eighth century.

II. For the following electoral divisions: